SEOUL, Dec 4, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol violated the constitution by declaring martial law in a move aimed at evading criminal investigations, according to an impeachment motion seen by AFP.

Yoon "gravely and extensively violated the Constitution and the law", the motion filed by opposition parties earlier Wednesday says.

It also said his decision to impose martial law was "with the unconstitutional and illegal intent to evade imminent investigations... into alleged illegal acts involving himself and his family".

Yoon also deployed military and police forces to blockade the National Assembly, detained certain members of parliament, and restricted free access to the assembly, the motion said.

"These actions significantly hindered lawmakers from attending meetings to demand the lifting of martial law. Such measures constitute a direct violation of the principle of separation of powers and represent unconstitutional actions that infringed upon lawmakers' rights to deliberate and vote, as well as their parliamentary immunity," the motion said.

Yoon was later forced to rescind the order in the early hours of Wednesday after parliament voted it down and as thousands of people demonstrated.